Josie waited. A few minutes later, the door opened.

"Josie," Joe said, surprised, "come on in."

Josie walked inside.

"I need to talk to you and Paulina."

"Paulina's asleep," Joe said. "She finally got to sleep, and I don't want to
wake her up."

"Joe," Josie said, "there's something I have to tell you, and..."

"It's okay, Josie," Joe interrupted. "I'm not blaming you for... for what
happened, and I don't need to know how you are dealing with Rain. That
is your business."

"Joe," Josie said, "I meant to tell you last night that... that it was my fault!"

"What are you trying to say?" Joe asked.

"It was my fault," Josie repeated. "I... I left my gun on the dresser... and..."

"No," Joe said in disbelief. "No. Not you, Josie. Not my best cop. You didn't. You couldn't have."

"Are you going to fire me?"

Josie felt ashamed as soon as she asked the question. Here Joe was dealing with the loss of his son, and
she was worrying about her job.

Joe did not answer.

"I'm sorry. This wasn't the time to ask you that."

"You're right. It wasn't, but I understand why you did."

"Joe, I'm not going to pretend that I understand what you and Paulina are going through right now," Josie said.

"I think you can," Joe answered. "You lost your son, too."

"Yes," Josie said softly, "and I wish that just once I had gotten to hold him. But... but you had
Dante for so much longer... you knew him in a way that I can never know..." she couldn't go on.

"I like to think," Joe said, "that our sons are together now."

"Thanks, Joe," Josie said. She looked at him. "But aren't you angry with me?"

"No," Joe said, "I'm not. I don't know why I'm not angry. Something tells me that I should be
furious with you, but I'm not, at least right now. Maybe later on I will be."

"Rain asked me to punish her," Josie told him.

"Are you going to?"

"Yes. I promised her that I would, but I can't."

"Why not?" Joe asked.

"You know why," Josie said. "If I hadn't been careless with my gun, none of this would have happened."

"That's true," Joe admitted, "but that doesn't excuse Rain for taking the gun, and apparently she knows it,
or she would not have asked you to punish her."

"But before I can do that," Josie began.

And then, Joe understood. Right now, Josie needed her captain more than she needed her friend. He forced
himself to speak sternly.

"Sinclair!"

"Yes, sir?"

"There was no excuse for a good, well-trained, experienced detective like you to forget something so basic as
to keep your weapon locked up." Joe lowered his eyebrows. "You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, sir," Josie whispered, "I know."

"So," Joe said, "I'm suspending you from the force for as long as Rain is suspended from school, plus one more
week."

"Weren't you going to let me stay home with her anyway?" Josie asked.

"Yes," Joe answered, "but now it will be without pay. It's for your own good."

"Yes, sir," Josie said, starting to feel just a little better.

"Now go take care of your daughter," Joe said.

####

Josie returned home, and put her key in the lock. She knew that she could not things off any longer.
She must keep her promise; she must... somehow ... punish Rain.